LOCAL HISTORY
EARLY HISTORY OF THE REGION
Man first appeared in the midlands of Ireland some 5,000 years ago. He had definitely got to the Slieve Bloom region 3,500 years ago just after our climate had took a turn for the worst. It got wetter and colder and the boglands began to spread throughout the midlands and eventually to the tops of the Slieve Blooms. During this Neolithic period farming was introduced onto the landscape and people buried their dead in large stone tombs. We have one of these tombs in our parish it’s known locally as the “Giants Grave”.
Located on the Eastern bank of the County river,today it is well signposted and easy to get to and a detailed information board is at hand to explain to all,many thanks to the “ Slieve Bloom Association” for bringing this ancient monument to the light.
Photograph above shows Giants Grave in 1987.
Photogaph at right shows the Giants Grave in 2004.
For more information on the Giants Grave and indeed on all aspects of the history of Clonaslee go to the Historical Study of the Clonaslee Area by the Transition Year students of 2003 from the Clonaslee Vocational School homepages.iol.ie/~clonvs/Tywebsite/index.html
The Bronze Age followed,agriculture improved,metalwork began and these ancient farmers began burying their dead in smaller tombs called “cists”. One of these cists was discovered in Clonaslee around 1734 and there may be more out there waiting for discovery.
CELTIC UI RIAGAIN.
The Celts began arriving into Ireland around 500 BC. These new people were more technologically advanced,for they had iron,a metal far superior to bronze and so began the Iron Age. The average Clonaslee celt lived in a ringfort and raised cattle and sheep on the hills. There are maybe 10 raths or ringforts left in the Clonaslee area.
The biggest and best preserved is “raheen” just south of Coolagh Cross.
The photograph at right is an aerial shot of "Raheen" ring fort.
Early Celtic society was tribal and had its own class system.The warrior aristocracy raided cattle and hunted from dawn to dusk,the next class were druids,poets and brehons and the last class held everyone else. There was no towns or villages,no trade nor commerce and Ireland was divided up into a few hundred mini-kingdoms or”tuath”,each one with its warrior king or chief.
The chiefdom that Clonaslee is now located in was called Ui Riagain,named after a Celtic warrior called Riagan. All the celtic clans of Ireland claimed descent from a Spanish celt called Mil Espainne,whose 8 sons led an invasion of Ireland around 300BC.Riagan too was descended from Mil through Cathaoir Mor,king of Ireland in 2nd century AD.
The territory of Ui Riagan stretched from the County river near Cadamstown in the west to Mountmellick in the east and from the Slieve Blooms to the low lying hills of Castlebrack and Kilcavan to the north. Ui Riagain was a tuath within the larger tuath of Ui Failghe led by the O Connor clan and was considered part of Offaly up until the plantation of Laois and Offaly.
The clan that came to dominate in Ui Riagain was Ui Duinn[the first O Duinn being a great grandchild of Riagan]The O Duinn clan appear to have ruled over the territory of Breagh[now County Meath]in the 10th cen AD. It is recorded that Donnchaoh Ua Duinn,Lord of Breagh was captured by the Danes in 1023,he returned only to be slain in 1027 and his followers left Breagh for the remote woods of the Slieve Blooms,where the named their new lands Ui Riagan.
SAINT MANMAN AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY.
Over in Europe the Roman Empire embraced Christianity as its primary religion in the 4th century AD. This new religion spread throughout the Empire and to Roman Britain.
Photograph above shows ruins of Kilmanman
In the early 5th century AD Irish pirates abducted a young Briton and sold him as a slave,he later returned a Christian convert and set out to convert the pagan Irish. St Patrick wandered all over Ireland and maybe he never got near Clonaslee,but his successors did. Saint Brigid may have been related to the O Duinns,the first church in Ui Riagan was dedicated to her at Rosenallis. Saint Kieran who was a friend of St Patrick’s built a monastery in Clareen,not far from Clonaslee while Saint Senchell [reputed to be Patricks first convert] set up his monastery at Killeigh.
Our local Saint Manman built his monasteries at Lahool[near Corrigeen] and Kilmanman in the 7th cen AD. St Finan built his monastery at Kinnity and another in Rearymore. There is a local legend that St Manman said that no-one in his parish would ever die from a lightning strike,his pattern day is August 5th.
The Irish were converted easily and small monasteries and stone chapels flourisned.[Ireland was divided up into diocese and parishes in the 13th century,there was but one parish in Ui Riagan with its church in Rosenallis.]
Aerial shot of Rearymore Church and Graveyard
The initial monastic huts and small stone chapels of St Manman were replaced by more substantial buildings. The chapels of Castlebrack,Rearymore and Kilmanman were built by Tadhg mac Laighnigh Ui Duinn in 1475. Built of local sanstone with thatched roofs, they would have ornate carved stone entrances and windows and a bell tower.
In 2005 there is stll plenty of evidence on our early Christian Buildings.Kilmanman,Reary and Corrigeen although much in ruin can still be visited freely. Kilmanman has a fine large window of carved sandstone that can still be seen through the ivy. The early christian grave slabs found in those early graveyards are on display in the Church in Rosenallis and in the car park of Clonaslee Church.
THE VIKING RAIDS
Ui Riagan,very inland,very remote,and very forested does not get mentioned a lot in the written history left to us. The Danes and Vikings attacked Ireland in the 820’s,they founded Dublin in 841,they plundered the whole island,yet Ui Riagan is not mentioned. In 842 the Vikings attacked and burned Clonmacnoise,Birr,Seir Kieran and Kinnity,perhaps they got to the little monasteries of St Manman,they burned Killeigh in 872.These attacks did not really change celtic Ireland,life continued on the slopes of the Slieve Blooms,while the monks learned that round towers were safer than little stone chapels.[There was a small round tower at Rosenallis].
By 950 the Vikings gave up on raiding and settled into their towns only to be attacked by the Munster king Brian Boru. He was so good at it that he burned Dublin in 999 and defeated them soundly at Clontarf in 1014 . Boru died that day but the power of the Vikings in Ireland was over.
Photograph shows the Early Christian Grave Slabs in the village
EARLY HISTORY OF THE REGION
Man first appeared in the midlands of Ireland some 5,000 years ago. He had definitely got to the Slieve Bloom region 3,500 years ago just after our climate had took a turn for the worst. It got wetter and colder and the boglands began to spread throughout the midlands and eventually to the tops of the Slieve Blooms. During this Neolithic period farming was introduced onto the landscape and people buried their dead in large stone tombs. We have one of these tombs in our parish it’s known locally as the “Giants Grave”.
Located on the Eastern bank of the County river,today it is well signposted and easy to get to and a detailed information board is at hand to explain to all,many thanks to the “ Slieve Bloom Association” for bringing this ancient monument to the light.
Photograph above shows Giants Grave in 1987.
Photogaph at right shows the Giants Grave in 2004.
For more information on the Giants Grave and indeed on all aspects of the history of Clonaslee go to the Historical Study of the Clonaslee Area by the Transition Year students of 2003 from the Clonaslee Vocational School homepages.iol.ie/~clonvs/Tywebsite/index.html
The Bronze Age followed,agriculture improved,metalwork began and these ancient farmers began burying their dead in smaller tombs called “cists”. One of these cists was discovered in Clonaslee around 1734 and there may be more out there waiting for discovery.
CELTIC UI RIAGAIN.
The Celts began arriving into Ireland around 500 BC. These new people were more technologically advanced,for they had iron,a metal far superior to bronze and so began the Iron Age. The average Clonaslee celt lived in a ringfort and raised cattle and sheep on the hills. There are maybe 10 raths or ringforts left in the Clonaslee area.
The biggest and best preserved is “raheen” just south of Coolagh Cross.
The photograph at right is an aerial shot of "Raheen" ring fort.
Early Celtic society was tribal and had its own class system.The warrior aristocracy raided cattle and hunted from dawn to dusk,the next class were druids,poets and brehons and the last class held everyone else. There was no towns or villages,no trade nor commerce and Ireland was divided up into a few hundred mini-kingdoms or”tuath”,each one with its warrior king or chief.
The chiefdom that Clonaslee is now located in was called Ui Riagain,named after a Celtic warrior called Riagan. All the celtic clans of Ireland claimed descent from a Spanish celt called Mil Espainne,whose 8 sons led an invasion of Ireland around 300BC.Riagan too was descended from Mil through Cathaoir Mor,king of Ireland in 2nd century AD.
The territory of Ui Riagan stretched from the County river near Cadamstown in the west to Mountmellick in the east and from the Slieve Blooms to the low lying hills of Castlebrack and Kilcavan to the north. Ui Riagain was a tuath within the larger tuath of Ui Failghe led by the O Connor clan and was considered part of Offaly up until the plantation of Laois and Offaly.
The clan that came to dominate in Ui Riagain was Ui Duinn[the first O Duinn being a great grandchild of Riagan]The O Duinn clan appear to have ruled over the territory of Breagh[now County Meath]in the 10th cen AD. It is recorded that Donnchaoh Ua Duinn,Lord of Breagh was captured by the Danes in 1023,he returned only to be slain in 1027 and his followers left Breagh for the remote woods of the Slieve Blooms,where the named their new lands Ui Riagan.
SAINT MANMAN AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY.
Over in Europe the Roman Empire embraced Christianity as its primary religion in the 4th century AD. This new religion spread throughout the Empire and to Roman Britain.
Photograph above shows ruins of Kilmanman
In the early 5th century AD Irish pirates abducted a young Briton and sold him as a slave,he later returned a Christian convert and set out to convert the pagan Irish. St Patrick wandered all over Ireland and maybe he never got near Clonaslee,but his successors did. Saint Brigid may have been related to the O Duinns,the first church in Ui Riagan was dedicated to her at Rosenallis. Saint Kieran who was a friend of St Patrick’s built a monastery in Clareen,not far from Clonaslee while Saint Senchell [reputed to be Patricks first convert] set up his monastery at Killeigh.
Our local Saint Manman built his monasteries at Lahool[near Corrigeen] and Kilmanman in the 7th cen AD. St Finan built his monastery at Kinnity and another in Rearymore. There is a local legend that St Manman said that no-one in his parish would ever die from a lightning strike,his pattern day is August 5th.
The Irish were converted easily and small monasteries and stone chapels flourisned.[Ireland was divided up into diocese and parishes in the 13th century,there was but one parish in Ui Riagan with its church in Rosenallis.]
Aerial shot of Rearymore Church and Graveyard
The initial monastic huts and small stone chapels of St Manman were replaced by more substantial buildings. The chapels of Castlebrack,Rearymore and Kilmanman were built by Tadhg mac Laighnigh Ui Duinn in 1475. Built of local sanstone with thatched roofs, they would have ornate carved stone entrances and windows and a bell tower.
In 2005 there is stll plenty of evidence on our early Christian Buildings.Kilmanman,Reary and Corrigeen although much in ruin can still be visited freely. Kilmanman has a fine large window of carved sandstone that can still be seen through the ivy. The early christian grave slabs found in those early graveyards are on display in the Church in Rosenallis and in the car park of Clonaslee Church.
THE VIKING RAIDS
Ui Riagan,very inland,very remote,and very forested does not get mentioned a lot in the written history left to us. The Danes and Vikings attacked Ireland in the 820’s,they founded Dublin in 841,they plundered the whole island,yet Ui Riagan is not mentioned. In 842 the Vikings attacked and burned Clonmacnoise,Birr,Seir Kieran and Kinnity,perhaps they got to the little monasteries of St Manman,they burned Killeigh in 872.These attacks did not really change celtic Ireland,life continued on the slopes of the Slieve Blooms,while the monks learned that round towers were safer than little stone chapels.[There was a small round tower at Rosenallis].
By 950 the Vikings gave up on raiding and settled into their towns only to be attacked by the Munster king Brian Boru. He was so good at it that he burned Dublin in 999 and defeated them soundly at Clontarf in 1014 . Boru died that day but the power of the Vikings in Ireland was over.
Photograph shows the Early Christian Grave Slabs in the village
Page 1 - Neolithic Age to Saint Manman
- Page 2 - The Coming of the Normans to Plantation of Laois
